Just For Fun

As I was going through my pictures and videos, I found one that made me laugh. It really has little to do with anything Malaysian, but I found it entertaining.

SO... for your viewing pleasure, one of Sarah's friends will perform an American song for you. :)
(I'd like to mention we were at a busy park when he said, "I'd like to sing a song for you.")

'Katie is Serenaded by a Malaysian Boy'

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - School, school, school

Just another day at the office. Today I taught English (the same students as yesterday). Many of our activities came from their workbook; I try to stick to what they know as well as varying my instruction. The class was learning about the “sh” sound and “ea” sound. I was really proud and a bit surprised at how many English words they could come up with that contain these sounds. One problem I keep running into though is sometimes I cannot understand what the students are saying due to their accent. After asking once to repeat themselves, I found that giving them the whiteboard maker and having them write what they are saying works fairly well. Plus, it gets them out of their seats and encourages class involvement. As a reward for their hard work (and a sneaky way to do a unit review) I taught them how to play Bingo. In their boxes they wrote food and drink words they had been practicing for the past week and a half. They really loved this game, but I had to have Puan Anis translate the directions before we could actually play. Once they realized I was giving bookmarks or pencils to the winners, they really tuned in and listened quietly. There is nothing more amusing than hearing “Bingo!” yelled in a child’s voice with a Malaysian accent!

In addition to English, I also was involved in teaching Science to year 3 students today. I really, really enjoy spending time in this science class. Puan Chong the teacher is a newer teacher and uses lots of the techniques we are taught at MSU. Plus, she is only 25 so we get along great. This science class most resembles American classes I have been in; daily Puan Chong uses group work, lots of drawing and coloring, and many hands on activities. Observing and spending time in the science room here only enhances my love for teaching science. Even though our lesson was pair taught, it was fun to see the students get their hands dirty, so to speak. The students were testing the absorbency of typical materials such as towel, coin, stone, toilet paper, etc. I was also able to play Hangman with the class for the last 15 minutes of class. The kids are so good at this game; I had to keep making the difficulty level harder and harder! I love that students’ levels of simple achievement can still impress me. I hope I never lose this insight. Next week I get to conduct an experiment all on my own. I am so excited!

Our class time at UPSI today was very unique. As tired as many of us were (getting up early daily really wears you out!) it was a very useful session. Our MSU group was able to do some microteaching with some of the UPSI students. Both of our groups showed how we would teach both telling time and how we’d teach with a children’s book. Like what I have observed in the school, the Malaysian students were very straightforward, direct, and taught as if they were using a textbook. Our group, of course, took an unconventional approach and taught a time telling game. After an hour and a half of discussing our teaching practices for both lessons, I got the feeling the Malaysian students and staff saw our teaching style as lacking structure and purpose. But while we do not teach every single lesson with a direct lecture format, I feel the way I have learned to teach does actually include a lot of structure. And without a purpose or object for the lesson, it would be useless. So contrary to their beliefs, I see American teachers to be very structured, just more flexible and creative in the way the material is taught.

Monday, July 28, 2008

The day started out in a bit of a panic. The copy machine at school was broke and I needed 40 copies of a crossword puzzle for my lesson at 10am. This especially stressed me out since today I was to be observed by my teachers and academic advisor. I think that was one of those times when you go into “teacher panic, I need something new mode.” Luckily and by the skin of my teeth, one of the other teachers was leaving school to make copies for her class as well. PHEW. Just in time for class I had my crossword puzzle.

I had to teach English today. For the lesson I had planned to read the book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Joffe Numeroff. As I went through the book beforehand, I noticed a lot of words the year 2 students most likely would not understand. To combat this, I made an English to Bahasa Melayu chart so we could practice the vocabulary words before reading the story. After I had introduced the English words to the students, I then had them teach me how to pronounce the words in Malay. This turned out to be such a useful tool; as I was reading the story, I could see the children glance up at the word chart when I came to the specified words.

Without observing other English classes first, I may have not thought to do this but after seeing Puan Anis teach I was able to pick up on her method of breaking things down to an understandable level. I think this experience, especially time spent in the English classroom will help me better understand how to handle ESL students or even to adapt lessons to students who are struggling. As for the book and the pictures, the students loved it! I found out they are rarely or never read to by their teachers. WOW. That was my favorite part of school when I was young. I am glad I was able to switch things up a bit.

After reading the book and asking a few questions about their favorite pages, I had them complete the crossword puzzle I had made for them. I was a little surprised at how fast they flew through this. I overestimated the time it would take them to complete the activity and I was left with about 25 minutes of class time to fill. Whoops. Luckily, one of the other girls had mentioned earlier playing Hangman with their vocabulary words and I ran with that idea. For about 15 minutes I played Hangman with the students, using the words from the book as well as the food words they have been learning and practicing. Even with this though, there was about 15 minutes left in the hour-long class. Luckily, Puan Anis jumped in to help me improvise and fill the time until class was over. Timing and planning are two things I have to work on in my future teaching. Overall though, I felt really proud of the lesson. I enjoyed teaching it and I feel like the students enjoyed listening to the book. Their behavior was great until we started to run out of things to do. This says to me the students are only antsy and chatty when they lose interest and feel a lack of connection to what is being taught. Something to consider based on my previous observations of some classes as SKTM.

In the evening, my host family took me to meet and visit with Yong’s brother. He lives about 5 miles away from their home. I learned that his home is right next door to their childhood home. It made me wonder if staying and living near your childhood town or home was typical and I found out it is fairly typical for adults to live near or in their same neighborhood. Her brother and his wife, plus some of their children (older than me!) came to visit and meet me as well. And as usual, they brought out tea and food for me to enjoy. Thank you Malaysia. I know I keep being told if you are plump that means you are well taken care of, but as of now I’d skip that cultural benefit.

Weekend Trip to Malacca: July 25-27, 2008

Our group left the UPSI library Friday morning at 10am to head down south to Malacca. Malacca is a historical and touristy city on the southwestern coast of Malaysia. It once was the center port for the Portuguese. The bus ride there took a total of about 3 ½ hours but that is partly my fault. On the way south we had to stop in Kuala Lumpur (KL) to quickly pick up my computer. When the bus reached KL, Kurnia and I had to quickly jump off the bus, run into the KLCC (Twin Towers mall), and make a mad dash for the computer store. Since the towers are in one of the busiest places downtown, the bus couldn’t park. Instead it had to drive around the block. So in order to make it up to the 3rd floor in the mall, get my computer, and be back down again, I pretty much made a spectacle of myself running through the fancy mall in Malaysia. Kurnia and I must have looked like crazies. Bu good news: My computer is in working condition and was covered fully under warranty! Wahoo! We made a mad dash back down to the main floor, flew out the doors and ran down the sidewalk, waiting for the bus to circle back around.

We made it safely back onto the bus and drove the rest of the way to Malacca with only a short stop for lunch at a rest area. When the bus pulled into our hotel, Everly Resort Hotel we were
all stunned. This place was 4-star, on the beach, with a pool, and glass windows lining the entire lobby.

Our rooms were just as nice. 6 people per room stayed in an apartment like room with an overlooking view of the pool and the Straits of Malacca. Seriously, why couldn’t we stay here for the rest of the trip? The first thing most of us did was head down to the pool! I wanted to swim in the ocean but the beach we were on had really dirty black looking water and there were dead fish floating just a few feet out. I opted for the chlorinated water instead. That evening we went out to dinner around 7:30pm, in the downtown area. Instead of just a typical restaurant, we went to a famous food court that had many types of food. I sat with Courtney and Katie L. as all three of us had chosen to eat Chinese inspired satay. Satay is like small kebobs grilled in peanut sauce. I had both chicken and squid. Yummy! After dinner we were given time to explore some of the local shops and peruse the more upscale stores in the mall. Really, the shopping never gets old. At 10pm our bus took us back to our luxurious rooms where we watched TV, relaxed, and enjoyed the hot, HOT, showers. (I won’t lie; I probably stood in the scalding hot water for 20 minutes before I even considered getting out.) It was the first real hot shower I’d had since Renee and I had been in KL.

The following day, we left the hotel at 9am in search of a breakfast stall selling nasi lemak. This is a typical Malaysian breakfast of rice, a really spicy chili paste, and usually a fired egg on top. That with a strong cup of the dark Malaysian coffee makes for a fantastic wake-up call. From breakfast we were invited to another education university in the area. Insitut Perguran Perempuan Melayu (IPPM) an all women’s college that focuses specifically on education. It is also the oldest teacher training college in Malaysia, having opened in 1935. All of the student here are Malay women of the Muslim faith. In normal Malaysian hospitality, we were warmly welcomed, taken on a tour of the campus, and fed lunch with some of the students from IPPM.

Upon leaving the university, we then headed to the historical part of town where there were remnants of the Portuguese. The town square was exploding with tourists, small shops, and rickshaws ready to whisk you away.

We walked about 5 minutes to get to a replica of a sultan’s home that had been destroyed when the Portuguese came. The house was made completely out of beautiful dark wood and hosted a museum inside showcasing the history of Malacca and traditional dress outfits of each Malaysian state. We also climbed about 200 steps to reach the remnants of a fortress at the top of a hill. From here you could see all the way out to the ocean. No matter how many times I see an ocean, I can’t help but feel so small. The view was incredible, but the weather was so hot and many of us were becoming very tired. To get back to the bus, Kurnia had 7 rickshaws ordered to drive us through the crowds and back to our starting place.

At this point in the day I was craving a nap and some time at the pool, but unfortunately were not done with our touring. Instead of going back to our hotel like many of us really were hoping for, the bus drove us to a place called Mini- Malaysia. This is an outdoor cultural center where we saw a traditional dance. Here, we were also able to see traditional Malaysian homes from each of the 14 states in Malaysia. It was very cool to go inside the replicas at first, but by the 5th or 6th house you could tell our group was losing steam. Finally, right before 6pm, we headed back to our hotel to relax and shower before dinner at 8:00pm.

Dinner turned out to be a decently sized food stall next to the ocean. While it was wonderful to sit near the shore with the breeze blowing in, dinner itself turned out to be the last straw for some people, me included. While I know I am in Malaysia and things are not the typical comfortable, clean-freak American way, I really was craving a sense of home. All the frustrations from the long day of walking around in the hot sun when we really wanted to spend some time relaxing after a stressful week hit a tee with me at dinner. For whatever reason, the service was incredibly slow, many of us received the wrong order, and our drinks were served only halfway through the meal. Ordering was a nightmare in itself as there are not usually menus for everyone to look at; you just have to “know” what you want. Mercifully I was able to keep most of my complaints under my breath but I was not alone in the feeling of frustration. In order to wind down when we got back to the hotel, I stood in the hot shower again, for a wasteful amount of time.

(Group shot at the wedding)

Sunday, our entire group was invited to a wedding of one of the host families. The wedding was 3 hours out of our way but we had accepted the invitation to go. Weddings in Malaysia are so unlike those at home. Here, whole towns come to see the couple get married, eat all day, and celebrate. Everyone brought his or her traditional Malaysian outfits (baju karongs and baju kabayas) to change into on the bus. We arrived around 12:45pm and it was so hot in that afternoon. But like all other times we have been guests, we were treated like royalty with tables prepared just for us and a bottomless-plate lunch was served. When it came time for the ceremony, the groom was walked toward the house with a parade of men playing drums. The bride then emerged from the “women’s house” to meet her husband. Before they entered the house to be photographed and blessed with rose water, they sat in chairs side-by-side and members of their family performed celebratory dances for them.

The bride then went into the house first and the groom had to make his way through the crowd to get to her. In order to show his desire to reach his bride, the groom traditionally hands out money to those blocking his way. Lucky me, I scored a ringgit! Unlike a home, there is no formal marriage ceremony in a church, just this joining of families for celebration. We left shortly after this took place since the drive back was estimated to take about 6 hours. Getting on the bus never felt so good; all of us had sweat through our dress outfits and were thankful to feel the icy AC.

We arrived back at UPSI in Tanjung Malim around 9pm (rather than 6pm like we had told our host parents) and I was really glad to be done traveling for the weekend. As much fun as I had learning about the history and culture of southern Malaysia, I had hoped this weekend away would have provided me with some relaxation. Oh well, just another week ahead. And as the Malaysian saying goes, “To visit Malacca is to visit Malaysia.” And luckily, this coming week is only 3 days long as we leave on Thursday for Penang!

A Glimpse Into Daily Life

I know, I know, I am missing about 2 weeks worth of details. Due to the fact that my computer decided to inconviently die out there has been few updates. I wsih I could go back and give you every juicy detail of my past days but I am way too busy (and lazy) to do so. Instead I thought I would post my short weekly observations I have to turn into my MSU professor. Hope this gives you glimpse into what I have been experiencing! This is from the week of July 21 – July 25, 2008. Enjoy!

Monday

Like last week, this week at school began with the school wide assembly. The agenda was repeating itself until the emcee teacher changed her tone and began speaking in English. In a berating tone, the speaker harshly reminded the students they needed to have their long hair pulled back and fingernails must be clean and cut short. Some of the students, I noticed, began to self-consciously look at their hands and stick them in their pockets or behind their back. I was really curious as to what significance this had. Later I was able to ask my host mother the reason for such reprimand. Apparently the school has strict rules about student hygiene; girls with hair longer than their shoulder must pull it back in a ponytail and all students have to have clean nails. I also learned there could be consequences for not fulfilling these requirements. What these consequences are, I am still unsure.
In terms of school for today, I was able to co-teach the Year 2 English class. The teacher, Puan Anis, and I did a wrap-up review of the garden unit they had been working on. For the lesson, I had the students volunteer to come out of their seats (WHOA, I know!) and come to the board. They then were able to move pictures of insects and plants I had made to make a class garden on the board. The lesson, followed by a writing and drawing activity, went fairly smoothly. I was fairly pleased with myself until Puan Anis said, “Did you use permanent marker on the whiteboard?” I was so embarrassed and had to spend the remainder of the class trying to erase my mistake.
After school my host mom took Sam, Courtney, and I to a grocery store. The plan was on Wednesday we would make an American dinner for our families. It was really interesting seeing the similarities and differences from their grocery stores to ours. One strange thing: in order to use a cart you had to trade in a ringgit for a token to release a cart from the chained holding area. I was planning to make macaroni and cheese but for some reason cheddar cheese was impossible to find. The other girls also found some of their ingredients were missing from the store, simple things we expect to be in a grocery store. And one thing I really find strange is milk comes in boxes, not refrigerated until they opened at home. I would also like to mention this does not taste like real milk either. Overall though, most products were much, much cheaper compared to the price they would be at home. My host mom mentioned though, compared to monthly incomes of my Malaysian families, grocery shopping could be a costly event.

Tuesday
Today in English class the students began a food unit. For their final activity they wrote out and brought ingredients to make sardine sandwiches. They had to follow the simple directions written in English to actually make the sandwich. Since they were making their typical lunchtime sandwich, I brought ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Surprisingly, the students were wary to try the American version of a typical sandwich. Those who did try though, really enjoyed them. I was able to parallel their ingredients and directions for making the sandwich on the board, adding to their English learning.
Science class today started out with Puan Yong showing me how she had planned the lesson for the day, the book and textbook their were working out of, and the directions to a simple group activity they would be doing at the end of class. This was really helpful for me to see how she had planned and laid out the lesson since this is an area in teaching I struggle with. The class took an interesting turn about half way through; one of the girls in class threw up at her table. I attempted not to laugh when the teacher said, “I think she isn’t feeling well.” It is comforting to know simple class disruptions like such happen everywhere in the world. The way in which it was handled though shocked me a bit. After the student was taken out of the class with her classmate, the teacher then had to handle the situation herself. She took out her “hand phone” (cell) from her bag, walked to the back of the class and proceeded to call the girl’s parents herself. About 5 minutes later, her phone rang and she proceeded to answer it directly in front of the class. This would never happen at home. Teachers using their cell phones in the middle of teaching would be absolutely not accepted. It was interesting to see this take place, but it also made me wonder what type of emergency action plans or first aid training the teachers in Malaysia have.
For our extracurricular outing at UPSI, we learned to play one of the sports played by Malaysian women, netball. While this game is reserved for females, it was interesting to see the one male on our trip, Eric, get into his element and dominate on the court! This game is very similar to basketball without any backboards, physical contact, and no dribbling is involved. It was a bit complicated at first. I played defense and the girl I was supposed to be covering was pretty much an expert at this game. Also, it should be mentioned I typically have little athletic ability when it comes to games requiring lots of coordination. While it was challenging to play against the Malay girls, I actually enjoyed myself and marked down another cultural experience in my mental notebook.

Wednesday
Today was a fairly typical day at school with little happening in the way of me teaching. I did get to spend about 35 minutes planning with the math teacher I work with. Sitting down and talking out what needed to be covered in the next two days was really helpful for me. I liked to see how she thinks out the day’s activities and writes the actual lesson plans. The format so strikingly similar to the way we write formal plans at homes. The headings we used were objective, outcomes, and activities. While I think these are really good things to include in lesson planning, I pretty much copied this directly from the teacher guidebook. I asked if this is typically how she plans lessons and she replied to the affirmative. This frustrates me a bit because all the book does is provide a guide how to teach from the text and assign problems from the workbook. There is little to no variation to these plans. I cannot understand how the students, or even the teachers, can function without extreme boredom in this type of a situation.

The highlight of this day was the American dinner prepared by Courtney, Sam, Renee, Meredith, and I. We started cooking in my house around 4:30pm. It was so exciting and comforting to feel like I was doing something to thank my family and the others for hosting us. Everyone there tried all that was made and really loved all the food. At one point I was sitting in the kitchen talking with my host mom and some of the other guests and I just felt so at home. I had that overwhelming feeling of content and it was a pleasant moment. I had been feeling a bit homesick and this truly made me feel right at home.

Aidil and Aira perform a song before everyone goes home! (Country Roads by John Denver)

Thursday

Slight disaster would be a good way to describe school today. I was all set to pair teach the Year 2 students; I had prepared half of the lesson, my mentor teacher the other half. Since the class today was an hour and a half long, there had to be a lot of content and activities accomplished to fill the time appropriately. Unbeknownst to me the teacher had let school early since she is very pregnant and has been feeling ill. So instead of having 90 minutes worth of lesson, I had 45. Plus, there was no teacher to help me translate to Malay the words and directions the students most likely would not understand. Needless to say, this class did not go well. At first the 40 students were fairly well behaved, but when I began teaching and assigning the agreed upon work from their workbooks classroom management became practically impossible. I felt like I was in a horrible subbing position. I struggled through the examples, having the students answer me in their broken English, and helping them with their work. When I decided to hand out bookmarks to the students who were working quietly at their seats for a reward, the students barely held it together. My reward plan backfired and the students began yelling, “I didn’t get one!” Typically when a teacher is gone, a fellow teacher will be the relief. Unfortunately there was not a teacher scheduled to come for relief until 12pm, one hour after I had struggled through the class alone. I walked out of the class with a headache and a feeling of failure. I take it very personal when lessons do not go well and I feel like the students struggled with the material. This was not only frustrating to me but I was physically drained from the experience.
The afternoon at home was more pleasant, and as usual made me feel more relaxed and comfortable. After taking a short nap, I went for a walk with Ainol. Every time I walk down the street I am stared down. It makes me wonder if it is because I am clearly a white American or if it because women typically do not leave their homes without a male escort. While Ainol is male, he is only eight. I also spent a fair amount of time talking with my host mom and sister about religion. They told me a lot about Islam and their basic belief system. I was also able to share a lot about my views on Christianity and religion in general. Having these types of eye-opening and informational chats are something I looked forward to before coming here. I appreciate learning about others ways of life and what drives them to behave in the ways that they do. The more I learn about Islam, I am learning many aspects of it correspond with Christianity. Findings like that bring me to the question: If religions are so alike, why is it that is usually the underlying reason for war in the world?

Friday
At UPSI today we had a group/class discussion on how our experiences at school are going. It was nice to share daily events, hear what is working/not working for others and gain perspective on how I can improve my teaching techniques here in this unique environment. Kurnia and Sri gave us many things to think about; using classroom management styles that use little or no words, drawing pictures to go with directions, playing games that allow each student to have a turn rather than losing control of the whole group. I really enjoy hearing and learning new teaching strategies from other teachers. Plus, these sessions allow me time to share challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned to better equip me in Malaysia as well as at home.

Back in Business! Finally...more from Malaysia

And we're back! I finally have my computer back from Kuala Lumpur and now am able to keep you updated on what has been happening over the past two weeks. At the time I do not have a lot of free time to keep up with a daily journal, but I'm hoping this post will shed some light on my experiences at Sekolah Tanjung Malim.

This is an assignment I had to do for MSU, but I think it really shows a lot about my observations and experiences in the school. I apologize for the dryness... it was a required writing.


After spending a week in a Malaysian primary school (SK Tanjung Malim) and observing both the teachers and students it is easy to see many differences compared to schools in Michigan. Likewise, I also was able to observe a few similarities between the two schools.
One of the first things I noticed about the SKTM was the way teachers are greeted when they enter the room. As soon as the teacher comes into the classroom and says “Good morning class,” the students immediately respond with “Good morning teacher.” When they say this, all students are standing and do not sit until the teacher allows them to. This is a tradition not employed by schools in Michigan. If this were required of students at home, I believe the initial reactions to such a change would not go over well. While I believe the Malaysians do this to show respect to their teachers (I feel it is demanded from the teachers), in Michigan the respect is earned. I cannot say which is a better way to start lessons, with demanded respect or the kind that is fostered through interaction, but it definitely is a big difference between Malaysia and Michigan.

Another difference that is clearly different from home is the way teachers move from class to class. Instead of having their own classrooms, teachers in SKTM move from class to class when it is time to teach their specific subject. It seems like this would be an annoyance and a waste of time. As soon as the Malaysian teachers enter the classroom they have to spend at least two or three minutes getting their materials set up. In Michigan teachers are able to move fluidly from one subject to another, from one lesson to the next with minimal down time. It makes me wonder if this is why (even despite the large class sizes) the teachers feel like the students are unruly at times.

One other difference I noticed throughout all classes at SKTM was most materials were taught through rote memorization. Especially in an English class I sat in on, the teacher was constantly saying, “Say this word,” “Spell this word,” “Read this sentence,” and “Repeat it again.” After a whole week of observing, only in one class (science) did I see the teachers using group work, peer-to-peer assistance, or creative lesson plans. At home, and especially from my education at MSU, I have learned this type of rote teaching is not only boring and lacks engagement, very few students truly learn materials in this way. It makes me question whether students are learning meanings and underlying big ideas or just memorizing for moment.

Amidst all of these differing practices used in the classroom, I was also able to notice some similarities. Many of the teachers give students certain time limits to work on their assignments before moving on to another activity. For example a teacher would say, “You will have five minutes to finish your sentences.” She then gave another warning when the students had one minute remaining. Teachers also do this at home; it gives the students a fair advantage and allows them to monitor their own learning. And because I spent a lot of my time in lower levels (year two and three) the teachers also gave reminders about working quietly and independently. This is a typical, everyday practice used by teachers in Michigan as well. Overall, many classroom management skills have been the same.

Going hand-in-hand with the topic of classroom management is the way in which teachers and students interact. The teacher-student relationship is very much like a parent-child relationship. The teachers are caring but I feel they demand respect from the students and expect them to follow their directions immediately.

In addition to making observations in the classroom, I was able to spend some time studying the teachers of SKTM outside of a teaching situation. From my time spent in the staff room as well as in the canteen at the teacher tables, I saw that many teachers are very close friends. Rarely did I notice teachers working as colleagues in the staff room. Rather, they were playing music, showing family photos, or working independently on lessons at their desk. Just from a week’s worth watching and note taking I feel like the teachers are more like friends who are very open with each other. While it was nice to feel camaraderie amongst the staff, at home it seems teachers are stick closer to a colleague role at school, friends outside of school. I was also surprised to see little compilation of resources, ideas, or time spent on lessons even though many of the teachers teach the same subject. This can be both similar and dissimilar to teachers at home. I really feel that lesson planning with fellow employees not only improves lessons but it also creates a more uniform way of getting through the curriculum in a fair way and effective way.

The last relationship I noticed was between students. Overall, the students seem to be friends like students at home. Similarly, there are groups of friends, class clowns, and students who often picked on. Slightly different though is that the segregation between sexes seems to be greater than at home. Boys mostly play with boys, the girls chat with their female friends. Also like students at home, boys seem to express themselves through physical aggression while the girls are quiet and spend a lot of time giggling. One main relationship dynamic I have noticed though, there seems to be a slight separation of friends amongst the Malay students, Chinese, and Indians. Each ethnic group often keeps to themselves. I can see this more in the girls than the boys but that may be due to the fact female students are slightly more culturally identifiable. I rarely see the Muslim girls playing or talking with Chinese or Indian girls. It often seems too, Chinese boys are picked on more often than other boys.

In addition to observing the people at the school, I also made notes about the classrooms and school itself. In general all the classrooms are very bare; there is a lack of student work on the walls, classroom rules, or bright colored and encouraging posters. The student desks are arranged in rows all facing the front. There are no bookcases, student workspaces, or comfortable chairs to be utilized by either teacher or student. Even the teacher must bring their own whiteboard markers and materials since there is not a class set. This lack of ownership for space, objects, or room usage makes school seem a very uninviting place to be. The classrooms and even the school as a whole lack a lot of learning materials that schools in the US often have. For example, my year 2 students were beginning a new unit learning about money. Typically when American students are taught this topic, there is play money available for the students to manipulate. When I asked if there was something like this at SKTM, my mentor looked at me as if I was out of my mind. She said, “No, we don’t have anything like that here. I think if we did there would not be enough for all the students in the class. In general, I feel the Malaysian schools rely strictly on their texts and workbooks for learning. With the exception of science, I have not seen any class provided with materials used specifically for learning.

Don't Worry, I'm Alive

I wish I had more time to update this, but I am still lacking my computer. :( Supposedly I will get it back tomorrow (Wed) afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

And as an update... a girl threw up in class today while I was teaching. Nice to know that happens all over the world, huh?

Hopefully you'll be updated soon on my wonderful journeys. And truly, I am missing my family and friends. Know you are on my mind often.

See you in 23 days!

A Little Bad News

Just in case anyone is wondering why this blog has been put on hold, I have some bad news to share.

My computer won't turn on. Not at all. Not a little bit. As of now it is Kuala Lumpur being looked at by a technician at an Apple store at the mall. :( It is so strange not to have my computer. Supposedly I will get it back Wednesday of next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Until then, I miss my friends and family. Thanks for all of your support. I'll be home in less than a month!

I live in Malaysia! July 12, 2008

Today is the day I have been waiting for since I knew I would be coming to Malaysia; I got to move in with my host family! Before they came to UPSI to pick us up though, we had breakfast at 8am, and then had to finish packing. At 10am there was a short but official ceremony welcoming our host families to the school and thanking them for choosing to host an American student. During one of the speeches made this morning, Sri asked our host families to forgive us if we did something inappropriate, rude, or against their culture. She said, “Please forgive them in advance if they do something offensive.” I thought was funny but such a true statement and I thank her for making it. From my family, Yong (the mother), Mohd (the father) Aiman (13), Ainol (8), and Airel (15 months) came to greet me.
Once the ceremony was over the students and their families had a coffee break. Around 11:30am I actually got to leave the UPSI campus with my family and go to their home just in the outskirts of Tanjung Malim. It only took about 5 minutes to drive from the campus to their home but we had to stop at the bus station to pick up the eldest Sarah since she had just come home from her university. Katie and Meredith also came with my family for the afternoon, since their host families were away for the day. When we got to their house (beautiful!) all of the family greeted me and the other girls; we were served food again! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but I really can’t get over how many times a day the Malaysians eat. I spent about an hour in their sitting room just talking, asking about their family, and their daily life. The anxiousness that I had felt earlier dissipated and I really felt at ease, at home. We ate a lunch of clams (that I helped prepare!), fish, and rice with soup. Undoubtedly it was fantastic. I also spent a lot of time playing games with Ainol. He kept asking, “Want to play?” He pulled out some Pokemon cards and a Malaysian form of Monopoly. Like any 8-year-old he made up the rules as he went and I played along. It makes me happy to have young ones around again!
Katie and Meredith left around 5:30pm with their host families. Sarah and Aira (the nickname for younger Sarah) wanted to take me to see the night market in town so I took a quick shower to cool off and then we left. Side note: Most Malaysian families don’t have hot water, they think it is unnecessary due to the heat; I actually enjoy the cool showers because they cool me off and wake me up. Even though it was pouring in the evening, I really enjoyed seeing all the hustle and bustle of the downtown area. There were people everywhere, buying almost anything you can think of. There were street vendors with clothing, make-up, shoes, watches, videos, and an endless amount of things. There also was an area set up specifically for food. In this part of the market there was everything from rice with chicken to pizza to different flavored drinks. And of course we went into a few of the shops filled with shoes and clothing. How can I resist?
Just a little after 7pm we headed back to the house. Apparently it is normal for the kids to have to be home around 7pm. After 7pm is meant for dinner and family time. I’m not sure how I would have responded to this as an American teenager but I like the idea of it now. We had dinner just around 8pm, fish caught by Aidil, leftover soup from lunch, and a cabbage soup/salad. After dinner everyone sat down in the living room to watch TV and play with the baby. It was nice to see the whole family spending time together on a Saturday night. What a rarity compared to home. I went to bed around 11:45pm but it was nice to know that I would be able to sleep in the next morning! I better soak it up while I can because from here on out it’s early mornings and late evenings of homework. The life of a teacher I suppose…


Sarah (20 years old, attends a music university) (kak or kakak)
Aidil (18 years old) (Abang)
Sarah (16 years old) (Aira or kak dik)
Aiman (13 years old, attends a boarding school 1 in Ipoh) (Dik Man)
Ainol (8 years old) (Dik Nol)
Airel (15 months old) (Adik or dik Ayil)

White Water Rafting and Hot Springs - July 11, 2008

Bright and early is how we started our day off today. In order to be ready for today’s outings, we had to be up at 6am. Despite being so tired, breakfast was filled with excitement for the day’s events: White water rafting and visiting the hot springs. We were supposed to leave UPSI at 7am but for some reason the bus was later and we didn’t end up leaving until 7:45. The ride there, to the river we’d be rafting down, was about an hour. Typically I would wear a bathing suit with short shorts and a tank-top on such an excursion, but since we were are not at home I wore longer shorts and a full on t-shirt. It’s just one of those cultural differences I have to be conscious of everyday.
We arrived at the river just a little after 9. Before we could actually get in, we had a short safety lesson from one of the directors of UPSI’s sports science department. Each of us was also given a heavy-duty lifejacket (PFD), a helmet, and a paddle. Our group was split up into 5 boats. I rode with the other Katie on the trip, 2 professional guides, a Malaysian student from UPSI, and a crazy cameraman who kept yelling “Capsize, capsize!” the entire time. And for some strange reason, the Malaysians found it so interesting there were 2 Katies in the boat with them. They kept saying, “Katie, Katie” and then something in Malay that made them laugh.
The first half of the rafting trip took us over 5 or 6 small rapids. While they weren’t very big or steep, we got soaked almost every time we went over. After each big rapid, our raft would pull off to the side of the river and the professionals would rest and wait for the 4 other rafts following us. I would also like to mention the water felt like Lake Michigan, a little chilly unless you had been sitting in the sun. At one of the drops, we heard whistles being blown, which signaled that someone had fell out of their boat. Sri and one of the other girls, Courtney had capsized and went under the water. As concerning as this should have been, all of us laughed while watching them float down the river with the current. They made it safely back in their boat though and were fine. At the end of the halfway point, we took a small break for a snack and juice. Our group had also stopped at a part in the river that if you walked far enough out into the middle, you could catch the current and float downstream a bit. It was fun to swim and feel how strong the current really was, despite the small size of the river.
The second half of the rafting trip was shorter but the drops and the rocks were a lot bigger. We had to sit in the bottom of the raft rather than the edges to keep from falling overboard. Most of the time I stuck my paddle in my lap and held onto the ropes along the edge of the boat to keep myself inside. In total the entire rafting trip took about 2 ½ hours and was so much fun. I really hope I can do this again sometime at home. And looking back, I think it would be a lot more enjoyable if the guides spoke a bit more English because I would have like to have known what exactly to do with my paddle, and how to maneuver better in the boat. Like most other events our group participates in, we had to take about a million photos before we could get back on the bus.
From the river we drove about 10 minutes to the hot springs in the area. Here there were warm water pools, cool water pools, and a fancy family area with waterfalls, water jets, and swimming area. Our group spent about an hour lazing about in the warm water pool. This was one of the most relaxing things I have done since leaving home. The water was 35 degrees Celsius or about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It felt so nice to just float, swim under the small falls, and lay at the edge of the pool with the warm water relaxing my muscles after the intense paddling. It amazes me how natural water can be so warm. About 2pm everyone got out, changed into some dry clothes and then went to see the spring hot enough to boil eggs. Seriously, it was that hot. We even bought eggs, put them in a metal basket, and after 6-7 minutes they were completely boiled and ready to eat.
We headed back to the university around 3:30pm but stopped for teatime on the way. At the little restaurant, open air of course, I tried a new dish called gadu gadu that had spicy rice, eggs, and tofu in it. I also tried a drink called ABC. It was shaved ice with ice cream on top, milk, bean rice, and corn on the bottom. This was so yummy! I know it sounds like a strange concoction but for some reason all the flavors really mesh. We arrived back at the dorms around 4:30. I was exhausted from the rafting and hot springs so I decided to take a shower and a nap. The evening ended with dinner at 8 as usual. Since we missed our class time during the day, we had to have a short meeting in our dorm room with our teachers. Most of us spent time working on our readings and daily journals and headed to bed early. I don’t know about everyone else, but it was hard to for me to fall asleep knowing the following day I’d be able to move in with my host family.

July 10, 2008 - Katie Goes to College in Malaysia

Classes on UPSI campus defined today. Starting at 9am after breakfast, our sessions began with a presentation called “Local Customs in Tanjung Malim and a Brief History about SITC-UPSI.” At 10am we were given our coffee time (just another excuse to eat here) and the session I had been most looking forward to, began. “Computer Usage in the Classroom in Malaysia” presented by Ms. Amily Shafila Bt Shariff really engaged me since I have such a strong interest in technology in schools. I learned the Malaysian government is really pushing schools to become “smart schools,” or schools that develop future generations who are technologically literate, can critically think, as well as manage and apply knowledge. The similarities between Malaysian computer usage at schools and in the US were so strikingly similar.

Malaysian schools desire to incorporate ICT (Information Communication Technology) for these main reasons:
*Information processing and productivity tools
*Enhance professional development
*Enhance teaching practices

Also amazingly similar are the challenges faced by this incorporation:
*Infrastructure
*Connectivity
*Technological support
*Stability of the systems
*Teacher skill and aptitude

This lesson was one of the first we have had that really drew a discussion between the professor and us. We discussed the similarities as well as some differences that face both Malaysian schools and the US. It felt great to really be engaging in intelligent conversation about something I find so important and interesting. The most amazing finding though is the fact the Malaysian government has a national goal to bring technology to as many schools as possible (computers, technology is paid for by the government and Ministry of Ed) while every single district in the US is left on its own. While the gap between have and have-nots in the US is widening, the Malaysian government seems to have the right idea about how to produce a more adaptable and technologically able citizen. While this session was my favorite by far, it brought out a lot of frustrations I feel for the way education is looked at in our home. Clearly, the Malaysians have it together on this aspect.
Our next lesson at 11 dealt with the teacher training in Malaysian and more specifically at UPSI. Again, there were so many similarities, right down to the classes we take and how many hours are required for practical teaching time. Not surprisingly though, Malaysian teachers are required to graduate with at least 130 credits (usually students have more) while at MSU we only have to complete 120. But again, I found myself being incredibly frustrated with the priority of education in the US compared to the way it is viewed here. By the year 2010, the Ministry of Education paired with the Malaysian government has a goal to have 50% of all working teachers to have completed graduate level (Masters) work. Do they have to pay for this? OH NO. Teachers willing to complete graduate work have fully paid tuition as well as paid leave from their jobs at school. So instead of taking classes on top of teaching all day, the teachers are able to give full effort towards bettering themselves and their teaching practices. And if they want to go out the country to do so? Also paid, plus scholarships are available for living costs. As soon as we learned this I quickly began calculating how I could become a Malaysian citizen. Needless to say, this session also sparked at heated and serious discussion amongst the professor and us.
Our final class before lunch was called “Malaysian Customs and Etiquette.” All of us found this extremely helpful and informational since we will be moving in with our families on Saturday. The teacher of this lesson did a really great job of sharing customs for all 3 main cultures living here in Malaysia: Muslim, Chinese, and Indian. The most useful things I took away from this were the way to greet family members and meet new people, how to eat without looking like a complete moron, as well as how to sit/stand/behave in the Muslim household.
Lunch was served at 12:45 (the 3rd time we were eating for today). We had, of course, a tasty spread of mild chicken curry with rice, fresh fruit, and a small bowl of soup similar to chicken noodle. From lunch our group headed over (we actually walked this time!) to the building we have been holding our MSU classes in. Here we discussed an article we had read and compared/contrasted what poverty or being poor means in both MI as well as in Tanjung Malim. What we came up with in our small groups was pretty different for each; results of this will be posted later when I write an official paper.
The day closed with a similar ending to others: dinner at 8pm and then time for homework, reading, or writing daily journals. But I go to bed with a feeling of frustration and an inability to make changes in the country I live in. For once, I wish the US could take the lead of other countries and reset priorities and ways of thinking in regards to education, healthcare, and general welfare of US citizens.

Holy Cow, We're Celebrities - July 9, 2008

This was the BIG day. Scheduled for today was the important, formal opening ceremony for our study abroad and connection with UPSI. I, as well as the others, had no idea how truly momentous this ceremony was going to be. Our lack of understanding may be due in part to the fact the United States does not have Ministry of Education, so knowing the Deputy Minister was coming specifically for this meant little to us. Before we headed over to the main UPSI campus, we ate breakfast (American, again) at 8:00am. The ceremony was set to begin at 9:30am; the Minister of Education was set to be there, our host families, and many other high figures from Tanjung Malim.
When we walked into the hall the ceremony was being hosted at, there was already about 60 people seated and waiting for us. There was an enormous elegant sign on the wall that had both UPSI and MSU on it.

Each of us was even given programs with our pictures in it!! At this point, I think our group began to understand what a big deal this really was. I actually started to get a little nervous and felt anxious. I mean, I didn’t want to be the American girl who causes a scandal in Malaysia by doing something inappropriate. The Deputy Minister of Education arrived right at 9:30am and all of us MSU students had to form a line down the aisle way to greet him and shake his hand. In an attempt to show my interest in his country (and to be cool) I said “good morning to him in Malay, “Selamat pagi.” I didn’t really expect a response from him, but he did a double take and asked, “You speak Malay? It is very good. What else do you know?” At that point I rambled off some of the other phrases I had been practicing and he informed me by the time I left Malaysia I was going to “get lots of boyfriends of Malaysia.” Nice work, eh?

When the ceremony actually commenced, there were major introductions done, a blessing asked in Malay (like a prayer but lacking religious ties), and then the Vice Chancellor of the university made a long speech. She kept mentioning how MSU is one of the best colleges for education in the entire US. While I know the rankings, this was the first time I was actually really proud of MSU, our desire to be in Malaysia, and of myself for being part of such a place. After her, the Minister of Ed made a really long speech. Some of it was in Malay, some in English. He mentioned how happy he was to see such global ties to be made, etc. And for some reason, he made a connection to the movie E.T. and our being in Malaysia. There was TV cameras, newspapers, and reporters everywhere. After all the speeches had been I must have posed for over 100 pictures with our study abroad group, with the minister, interacting with the guests, and on and on. While the whole thing lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, my favorite part of the whole morning was when I got to meet my host mother, Yong.

I was able to chat with her for a second, take a picture, and then she took me to meet her husband. I spent about 20 minutes talking to them, asking about their family, and telling them things I really wanted to experience while staying with them. Honestly, they seem so great and I really can’t wait to move in with them! And here’s some exciting news: I move in on Saturday and then on Sunday they are hosting a huge barbeque where all their family will attend. I get to meet everyone! I’m not sure if I am excited or overwhelmed by this fact, but no details will be spared in later posts.

(Minister of Education)

When the ceremony and final pictures were concluded, we were taken to a fancy lunch with the Minister and his collogues. The room we went into was like a banquet room with flowers, ornate tablecloths, and slipcovers for the chairs. There was even fancy silverware and napkins folded to stand on our plates. Seriously, we’re famous. And lunch… Oh, to die for! This was one of the 1st Malaysian meals we had eaten since beginning our trip and it was fantastic. It was served in a traditional roundabout that everyone could eat of. My favorite of the dishes was the curry shrimp. So yummy!

All of the formalness ended around 1pm and our afternoon was spent driving into town for quick errands, completing our class session with Kurnia and Sri (MSU coordinators), and then we were able to return to our rooms and rest before dinner. Dinner was served at 8pm (chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, what?!) and after we took our private UPSI bus back onto campus. Beginning at 9pm was a traditional music and dance show put on specifically for us. While waiting for it to begin, a girl came and sat next to me… she is my host sister Sarah! After watching the performers do their dance, they invited us onto stage to practice our moves as well. They tried to teach us their simple moves, but I was awful at and pretty much made a fool of myself. For one of the dances, we had to wear sarongs (even Eric!), which they actually allowed us to keep. Oh, and what did we do once the performance was over? If you guessed, “EAT” you’d be absolutely right. This meal in the evening after dinner is called supper. It is mostly a dessert like spread with coffee but I was still stuffed from dinner and sitting around all day. It was nice though because my host parents sat at the table with me and I was able to listen to them talk about the experiences of living in the US and UK. Spending this short amount of time with them really only makes me more excited to spend time with them in their home.

We finished up around 10:30pm. Was I tired? Yes. Were we done for the night? Oh no. Instead of heading back to the dorms and crawling into my bed (which may or may not have cockroaches in it) all of us from MSU were taken out to a small Malaysia cantina to have yet again, more food. WHOA. While the things we tasted were amazing, roti tisu and roti canai, I could barely put one more thing in my mouth. When I said I would get fat over here, it wasn’t a lie. I was finally able to fall into bed, stuffed to the brim, around 12:30 after completing some readings for class the next day. Seriously, this day made me feel like a celebrity, but I crave to be in the classroom either learning or teaching

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Check It Out!

Our MSU coordinator is updating a wiki specifically for MSU. There are daily journals, photos, and a detailed description of what we are doing here. If you have time, take a look!

MSU Malaysian WIKI

In Class at UPSI - July 8, 2008

This morning we started our day at 8:00am with breakfast at the university. Unlike all the other days I have spent on the other side of the world, this was the first as students at UPSI. Our classes began at 9:00am in a fancy room with comfortable couches. This is not exactly what I was expecting, but then again we are being treated like royalty. Our first lesson was “An Introduction to Malaysia” by two UPSI teachers. Here’s just a few of the things that I learned:

*Malaysia just recently became a country in 1957.
*The population is 27 million, mostly concentrated in Western Malaysia.
*The last United States president to visit Malaysia was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966.
*60% of the Malaysian population is Muslim.

The class lasted until 10am and then we broke for “Coffee Break.” Malaysians eat ALL the time; this was less of a coffee break and more of a snack break with coffee. As a side note, Malaysian coffee comes pre-mixed with cream and sugar! I find this to be fantastic. Our next session of class began at 10:30 and was called, “General Information About Education Curriculum in Malaysia” by Professor Dr. Nagendralingan Ratnavadivel. This was very interesting and useful. From this hour lesson we were given an overview of the national ideology, teacher professionalism and the national philosophy of education. The thing I found most intriguing was the fact that Malaysia has a national curriculum the entire country follows. All the teachers in public schools are employed under the Ministry of Education. Some similarities I found between the Malaysian education theories and the ones I have learned at MSU were they strive to have a balanced and integrated curriculum, attempt to reach higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, and learning for understanding as well as lots of REFLECTION. Boy, does that sound similar!

Also, here are a few facts specifically about the education system:
*There are 10,000 public schools.
*There are 5.5 million students enrolled.
*Malaysia has 300,000 working teachers in public schools.
*Class sizes can have up to 50 students, but the average is 35-40 per classroom.
*10% of government funds go towards education.

Our final lesson of the morning began at 11:30am: “Basic Communication in Malay Language” by Professor Emeritus Dr. Abdullah Hassan. This really was an hour-long crash course in some important words and phrases in Malay. I really enjoyed learning useful words and ways to use them. For some reason I am really drawn to learning languages. I think it is so important and necessary to learn the language you are immersed in. A lack of trying shows ignorance, incompetence, and portrays an overall “stupid American” demeanor. Here are just a few of the many phrases I learned:

*Thank You = Terima Kasih
*Good Morning = Selamat Pagi
*My name is… = Nama Saya…

Of course at 12:30pm we ate lunch. What else would we do in Malaysia? We ate a delicious (sedap, in Malay) lunch of rice, mild curry chicken, a Malaysian salad similar to cole slaw and fruit. Our group was then taken on a tour of the library (it felt nice to walk since we were being bused around all the time!) by the student council. Our final class, taught by our MSU coordinators Kurnia and Sri, was at 2:30pm. This time was mostly spent going over the syllabus for our Master’s level work and plans for the rest of the week and trip. The rest of the afternoon was spent with some free time before our (American, boo) dinner.
I look forward to the following days where we will continue going to class, meeting new professors, and learning more about Malaysia and its culture. I almost feel like an adult; we have to be dressed nicely and fairly conservatively to go to class, due to the Muslim culture. I really feel in my element in these types of situations, I am happy here, and enjoy the time we are spending. Mostly, I cannot wait to move in with my host family and see Malaysian life through the eyes of a citizen.

A New Direction in Blogging

I have had such an amazing time exploring a new part of our beautiful world on vacation, but from here on out I am officially on study abroad. While my past posts have been mostly journal entries detailing my feelings, thoughts, and events for the day the following posts will cater to the main reason I decided to start this blog: I want to detail my experiences as I learn about education, teaching, and musings along those lines. I apologize if the following posts seem a bit dry but I am aiming for a more reflective theme. I am so excited to actually begin teaching and learning about the Malaysian educational system! Thanks to everyone who keeps reading!

As of now, I am staying at an university in Tanjung Malim, just northwest of Kuala Lumpur. It is called UPSI (like oopsie) for short, but it stands for Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. Here is a map of West Malaysia... click and see if you can find TJ!

Here is one of our 1st informal assignments... I think it gives a sense of my thoughts on actually being in Malaysia to teach.

Predictions about the Malaysian experience:
What are your goals (personally and professionally) for yourself in Malaysia?
I hope to earn more about myself as a person and a teacher, expand my foreign language base, make connections with people I may not otherwise know (other students from MSU, from UPSI, family ties), learn to live a more simple and laid-back lifestyle.
I expect to gain experience as a teacher in a challenging situation, gain insight to what it feels like to be a minority without local language skills, expand my idea of teaching and classroom situations, learn new techniques and lessons that I can use later in my career, make professional ties with teachers, school staff, and administrators.

What do you expect will happen in your first two weeks of the program?
I expect to feel like an outsider, experience a twinge of homesickness, I expect to learn important phrases quickly in Malay, get an informational grasp on Malaysia and the culture, I expect to feel out of my element, be nervous/excited/anxious all at once.

How do you expect to react?
I think I will react by trying new things, immersing myself wholly in the university, family life, and adopt the behaviors of those around me (Malaysians), I hope to be open-minded and deeply think about the difference I see rather than jump to conclusions.

What might be your biggest academic challenge in your Malaysian
teaching/learning experience?
I have little to no knowledge of Malaysia or its history, I don’t know anyone personally from this area of the world, I don’t speak Malay, it will be challenging to modify my speech/behaviors to be acceptable in the Malaysian classroom.

What might be your biggest cultural challenge?
I am afraid of feeling like a “stupid American” because I know little of the food, customs, language, understanding the differences in religion and daily customs compared to those at home, learning and remembering the students’ names, also saying them without slaughtering them each time.

What are you looking forward to?
I am really looking forward to meeting and spending time with the family (comparing this to when our family hosted exchange students), seeing daily life through the eyes of a local, learning new ways to teach, gaining a more worldly view and expanding my acceptance level of multicultural students.

My Last Day of Official Vacation

Today is the day we got to meet up with our study abroad group! But first, Renee and I had the whole day to ourselves again. We had to technically be checked out of our hostel room at 11:00am so we got up fairly early to shower, pack, and leave for the day. Since we weren’t leaving for the airport until 10:30pm we decided to lazily make our way towards the KL Tower. This is similar to the one in Seattle, Washington. We took the monorail to the Bukit Nanas stop and walked in the wrong direction by accident. In retracing our steps, we found a sign that led us through a national forest reserve towards the tower. Apparently getting lost brings wonderful surprises. While we had to climb a bazillion steps, it was nice in the shade and very pretty. Everything was so green and lush. The path led us through a park and all along the path there were outsets of picnic tables and benches to rest on. We finally made it to the tower around 12:30pm.

Once inside, Renee and I decided to buy a ticket to go up to the observation deck. From the top we had an awesome 360-degree view of Kuala Lumpur. It really is a HUGE city. After taking an elevator 421 meters up (4th tallest telecommunications tower in the world) we received headphone guides to explain each viewpoint to us. It was a little hazy because it was so humid today, but you could really see to the edge of the city. Some landmarks I saw: the king’s palace, the bird and butterfly conservatory, the National Mosque, and the American Embassy.

What I learned: Malaysia has 13 states that have ruling sultans, except for 4. The 4 that don’t have sultans have governors. While Malaysia functions under a parliament, the sultans and king act more as ceremonial members of the government. We spent about an hour and a half here. Before leaving, we had a cool drink at one of the local stands.

Around 2:30 we started to walk back towards the monorail station to eat back to our hostel. For lunch we ate at the restaurant right next door; there was something like a curry buffet that we could pick and choose from. This place was also like an open-air cafeteria with many tables and people everywhere similar to the one we ate in a few days ago. The food was a wonderful smattering of all kinds of new tastes. I especially like the tiny amount of chili paste I tried that was spicier than anything I have eaten in a long time. With 7 hours to go until leaving to meet up with our group, we blew some time updating our blogs, pictures, and doing prep work for our courses over here. Luckily, I found a sports channel with highlights from the 1st stage of Tour de France and watched that for 30 minutes. And then we watched a movie. A whole 2-hour movie. Honestly, both of us were so ready to leave the hostel and begin study abroad. Antsy doesn’t describe what we were feeling. At 8pm we ventured outside to grab a small dinner of grilled corn and fruit. Instead of eating and returning to the hostel we walked around the market, down the main road, and even went to a supermarket. (This place was like JCPenny’s on steroids!) And for about 35 minutes, we sat outside our hostel building on the steps just people watching and taking in the night market.

(Just a glimpse of the craziness inside one of the Malaysian fresh food markets!)

When it closed in on 9pm I thought I was going to lose my mind. Finally 10:30pm rolled around and the owner of the hostel drove us in his car to the airport. (For some reason the hired taxi service wasn’t available to take us?) It took about an hour to drive to the international airport and we were dropped off at the arrivals station. That was a little odd because we had all of our belongings, but those were our instructions. Once inside we found Kurnia, our study abroad coordinator and 2 other girls who had already arrived. Finally, the main reason for flying ½ way around the world was here! All the others (11 of us in total) arrived around 12 am and we were met by some students of UPSI (Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris) and our other MSU coordinator. Traveling was not over yet; our group had to travel about 1 hour and 45 minutes to Tanjung Malim where we’d be staying at the university. We finally arrived and crashed into bed at 2am. Lucky us, breakfast was at 7:30am!!

Just Renee and I - July 5th

Today was Renee and my 1st day on our own. Since the other girls had flown out the previous night, we had all day today to do whatever we pleased. To fill the day we decided to take a risk and go to a theme park on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. In order to get to Sunway Lagoon Theme Park we took the monorail to KL Sentral, a main hub for all trains, buses, and even some airlines. Once we reached here we had to buy a KTM Komuter train ticket and ride the local train for about 25 minutes. All the figuring things out and finding our way reminded me so much of my 1st time in Europe. And from the directions given to us by the owner of our hostel, it was supposed to only be a 5 or 10-minute walk from the train station to the actual park. Wrong. Way wrong. 30 minutes later and asking the locals twice how to get to Sunway, we arrived at the huge mall outside of the park. The two of us had to walk all the way through the Sunway Lagoon mall and then we finally made it to the ticket counter.
I apologize for a lack of pictures from this day-trip but we found out really soon that almost all of the rides at the park were water rides. I’m not going to lie; the park was a little cheesy. The one roller coaster we rode was electric and was similar to the Mine Ride at Cedar Point: tiny, slow, and incredibly little. It was really interesting to be at the park though. There were mostly Asian families there and many of them were wearing pants, long sleeves, and even their scarves despite the water rides. Needless to say Renee and I decided to wear our shorts and tops the majority of the time we were in the park. After we had ridden some of the water rides (similar to Splash Mountain) we headed down to the water park. Here there was a wave pool (not in operation), a few water slides, and a lazy river. We both laid in our tubes around the lazy river thankful for the cool water on the hot day. After that we spent the remainder of our time out on the fake beachfront lazing about in the sun, waiting for our clothes to dry out. Around 3pm we decided we’d had about enough and headed out. And instead of taking the train back to our hostel, we opted for a taxi. Despite some of the warnings we’d been given about the city’s taxi drivers, we took the chance and made it back safely! Plus, it was much faster and more direct. Score on both accounts.
Back at the hostel the both of us took short naps, showers, and then ventured out to an American dinner. What, we were missing American food okay? We decided on Hard Rock Café, just off from one of the monorail stations. Honestly, nachos and caesar salad were the best decisions I could have made. It really was wonderful to get a taste of home! We took our time at dinner, and even opted to taste a local beer (Carlsburg). Not bad if I do say so myself. From the restaurant we saw the Petronas Towers lit us just a few blocks away so we made an impromptu decision to see them up close. It was only about a 10-minute walk from the Bukit Nanas monorail station and being underneath these magnificent towers was breathtaking.

Renee and I thought it would be cool to go up in the towers and see the city at night; we got really sidetracked. Apparently, there is a massive mall underneath the towers and it was filled with designer stores and bustling with people. Needless to say we never made it up into the towers. At this point I made maybe the worst or best decision of the trip: we entered a shoe store with a huge "SALE" sign on the outside. Inside there were probably 50+ women scavenging for shoes. It was a jungle in there. Everything was on sale. I was in heaven.
After an hour of fighting off Asian women for the shoes I wanted, I ended up leaving with 3 pairs of shoes. Really, it could have been so much worse. I feel like I really showed some self-restrain in such a store. But from this experience I came to this comforting realization: Obsession with shoes is not only an American woman thing; this is a worldwide epidemic affecting all women. Nice to know. Leaving the mall I hung my head in shame (but smiled inwardly!) at my splurge and walked back to the monorail station. We got back to the hostel around 10:30pm and promptly went to bed. Shopping wears a girl out, ya know?

Happy 4th of July from Kuala Lumpur!

Happy 4th of July! We get to celebrate Independence Day by exploring Kuala Lumpur… not too shabby I’d say. The girls and I took our time getting up and around today since we didn’t really have specific plans for our first full day in Malaysia. We did take advantage of the free breakfast provided by our hostel (toast and jam or PB with hot chocolate or coffee). This hostel reminds me a lot of the ones I stayed at in Europe with a kitchen and common rooms. Once everyone was ready to go we took the monorail to a popular pedaling street in Chinatown.

Here, the whole road is set up with stores, vendors, and rolling carts. You can buy almost anything you can think of here. Surprisingly, there were very few tourists here as we were some of the only white people around.

We also found our way to the Central Market, which is actually another round-shaped mall with 4 or 5 floors. We mostly spent time in here because there was A/C and it was ridiculously hot and humid today. Around 1pm we started to get hungry and went looking for a place to eat lunch. In Kuala Lumpur (and Thailand as well) restaurants are not widely available. Most people eat at street side vendors under large pavilions. The one we chose was like a busy cafeteria but with open-air sides. It was packed with people and we had to fight to get a table. For lunch I had chicken barbequed in a spicy sauce on top of rice. FABULOUS. Seriously, there is nothing I have eaten here that I haven’t liked.
I think mostly due to the heat, all of us were really exhausted and chose to head back to the hostel. I spent the afternoon taking a nap; the other girls watched movies in the common room. Since this is the night that Suzie, Jen and Kellie were flying home, they also spent time packing and getting things arranged to head back to the airport. But before they headed off, all of us went to a local dinner market called La Cuisine.

Here the manager of the restaurant helped us pick out the best dishes on the menu. I shared a tom yum soup with seafood in it with Kellie and had rice as a side. When we were finished, the manager provided us with a complimentary fruit dish for dessert! The Malaysian people are so friendly and welcoming. It makes me a little ashamed of how close-minded Americans can be.
After dinner we got our first glance at the beautiful twin towers beginning to light up. It really was a beautiful sight.

We walked back to our hostel (only about 5 minutes) so the girls could get their final things packed and ready to go. Their taxi came at 10pm; Renee and I hugged them and sent them on their way. It is so strange to be here with only Renee now… it means study abroad is really actually coming!! I CAN”T WAIT!

Thailand to Malaysia - July 3, 2008

This morning the 5 of us girls had to be ready to leave Samui Beach Apartments at 6am. We took an airport transfer van to the small airport on the island so we could fly from Koh Samui to Phuket. The airport was so fancy! I really like the fact that it was all open air, even the waiting areas at our gate. It was under this bohemian-like pavilion with fluffy pillows and no walls. It makes me wish MI had nicer weather year-round. Our flight left at 8:15am. We flew on a little puddle jumper plane from the eastern islands to the western island. It was only about an hour flight. When we arrived in Phuket we had to get our bags and go through customs (much quicker here than in the US) as we were flying to Malaysia from here. The layover was just over an hour because our plane was delayed about 25 minutes. Again the flight was fairly short, only about 2 1/2 hours. We landed in Kuala Lumpur a little before 3pm. Once here we went through all the typical airport stuff: customs, new stamp in the passport (!), baggage claim, and money exchange. To get to our hostel in KL, we had to take an express train from the terminal to a monorail station downtown. The monorail goes all over the city and is REALLY convenient. We finally arrived at Hostel Cosmopolitan around 4:30pm.
After checking in and dropping our bags, everyone except for Kellie headed out the huge mall we saw on the way in. And by huge, I mean 10 stories with an IMAX and an amusement park inside. This place was enormous and slightly overwhelming. But I did manage to pick up a new pair of shoes! We spent a few hours here, walking around and checking out the thousands of stores. I kept thinking how much Mallory would love this place!

(View from 8th floor down)

We took the monorail back to Chow Kit, our station, and relaxed for a few hours. We ventured out for a cheap bite to eat around 8:30pm and found the road in front of our hostel had been transformed into a night market. It was so busy with locals, vendors, and food stalls. I really enjoy the fact these are daily occurrences. I also really love that the city comes alive in the evenings. Dinner was cheap, thanks to the market. I had grilled corn with a butter and garlic sauce made right in front of me, and chicken on a kabob stick with a spicy sauce on top. Less than 5 dollars (about 15 ringgit) for it all! For dessert: fresh fruit and local sweets bought off the street.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing in the common room of the hostel watching movies and using the Internet. Not too bad for my 1st day in Kuala Lumpur!